Statement from Boulder Valley School District Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson
Today, we learned of charges being brought by the Boulder County District Attorneys’ Office against businesses and individuals in our community associated with the use of alcohol and impaired driving that resulted in an April 2022 double fatal crash.
This was an incredibly tragic situation that took the lives of two innocent people. It also has, sadly, changed the trajectory of the lives of the young people involved, including the former BVSD student who was charged earlier for vehicular homicide and driving under the influence.
It is also a situation that brings into stark relief a serious issue in our community – underage drinking and drug use.
For many years, our high school principals and staff have been talking about the dangers of alcohol, drug use and, specifically, party buses to parents and students alike.
We remind parents that the brains of high school-aged children are not fully developed, and work to educate our youth that the introduction of alcohol and drugs often leads to bad outcomes.
Boulder Valley School District has taken steps, within its authority, to address this community issue. Typically at our high schools, the protocol is to pull aside students who smell like alcohol or appear to be impaired, contact parents, and establish a safe and appropriate way for the student to get home. Students who are found to have engaged in serious misconduct are subject to school disciplinary action, including possible suspension. Often law enforcement is present at dances and large events and assist in managing students who appear to have been using alcohol or drugs.
We are dedicated to continuing to review and improve our policies and practices in this area. We are also aware that more forceful measures may have unintended consequences. For instance, we are aware that the measures we have already taken (including those mentioned above) have resulted in some students choosing not to attend the school event, something that is worrisome to us. In fact, we have heard of cases in which students have stayed at house parties and/or ridden around on party buses for the full evening.
We fully support District Attorney Michael Dougherty and the DA Office’s efforts to get to the bottom of this situation. It’s time for us to come together as a community in light of these findings to do better, to unite to keep our students safe and better understand the dangers of drug and alcohol use by our youth.